Heart Shaped Brownies

🧂 Ingredients

• ½ c. unsalted butter

  diced
• 3 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate

  chopped
• 1-1/2 c. sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp. instant espresso powder
• 1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• ¾ c. all-purpose flour
• powdered sugar

  to sprinkle on the finished brownie hearts
• 12 oz. raspberries

  fresh or frozen
• ½ c. unsalted butter

  at room temperature
• ½ tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3-1/2 c. powdered sugar
• pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

• 1 for the brownies: Preheat oven to 325° F. Fold a long piece of heavy foil into a
  13" wide strip and fit it inside a 9" x 13" metal baking pan, leaving foil
  overhang on the 2 long sides. Spray the foil lightly with nonstick spray. Set
  pan aside.
• 2 In a large heavy saucepan over very low heat, stir butter and chocolate until
  everything is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the sugar, and then the
  eggs, one at a time. Whisk in espresso powder, vanilla, and salt. Then sift the
  flour over the chocolate mixture and stir to blend well. Transfer batter to
  prepared pan.
• 3 Bake brownies until slightly puffed and dry-looking and tester inserted into
  center comes out with some moist batter attached, about 20 minutes. Let cool
  completely in pan on rack.
• 4 for the fresh raspberry buttercream: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook
  the raspberries, stirring frequently, until the raspberries are broken down into
  a very loose sauce. Line a fine mesh strainer with a double layer of
  cheesecloth, and then pour the raspberry sauce through to remove the seeds. To
  get all the raspberry juice possible, twist up the ends of the cheesecloth very
  tightly and press on the raspberry sauce with the back side of a large wooden
  spoon to extract the juice. Then pour the raspberry juice back in the pot.
  Simmer until the juice reduces to 1/4 cup. The juice will be very concentrated,
  deep red in color. Set aside to cool.
• 5 With a stand mixer, cream the butter with a paddle attachment on medium high
  speed about 2 minutes, until butter is lightened in color and a bit fluffy. Add
  2 cups of powdered sugar, the 1/4 cup of cooled raspberry sauce, lemon juice,
  and salt. Mix until smooth. Add another 1-1/2 cups of powdered sugar and mix
  until smooth. Fit a pastry bag with a medium-large round tip (I use a this tip
  [https://www.amazon.com/Round-Decorating-Piping-Tip-12/dp/B0043UJERS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1548976389&sr=8-2&keywords=wilton+#12+tip&linkCode=ll1&tag=afarmgisdab09-20&linkId=78597eacfb6332918b425b85a33270a4&language=en_US])
  and fill with fresh raspberry buttercream.
• 6 to create the brownie hearts: Run a knife around the inside edge of the brownie
  pan. Use the overhanging foil as an aid and gently lift the brownies from the
  pan. The brownies should be about 1/2" thick, so ensure that your cookie cutter
  is taller than 1/2". Press heart-shaped cookie cutters (the cookie cutters used
  in my photos measure 3" wide and 1-1/2" wide) firmly into the cooled brownie.
  Use a thin metal spatula to lift the cookie cutter filled with brownie from the
  foil. Gently press the brownie out of the cookie cutter. Repeat the cutting
  process until your brownie looks like a big piece of Swiss cheese. (Don’t throw
  away the scraps, they’re awesome little nibbles!)
• 7 With the pastry bag filled with fresh raspberry buttercream, pipe a line of
  frosting around the inside edge of one of the brownie hearts. Then fill in the
  inside of the line with frosting, too. Top with another brownie heart, gently
  pressing down to make a sandwich. Repeat until all your brownie hearts are
  completed.
• 8 To finish, sprinkle the brownie hearts with powdered sugar. I like to fill a
  powdered sugar shaker
  [https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Gizmo-Confection-Sugar-Shaker/dp/B073HCWL4D/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1548976768&sr=8-9&keywords=powdered+sugar+shaker+duster&linkCode=ll1&tag=afarmgisdab09-20&linkId=5029bf3154026cfe51d667d6e8726940&language=en_US]
  with powdered sugar and gently tap the side to let the powdered sugar rain down.
• 9
  With the heart-shaped cookie cutters I use, I can make six large brownie heart
  sandwiches, plus several smaller ones. Or I can make about 20 of the smaller
  brownie heart sandwiches.

Nutrition Info